


Rather Than

by Morishi



Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: 2kim, F/F, Fluff, KkuChaen, Oneshot, angstforkkuchaen, chaekkura, hurtandcomfort?, idon'treallyknowbutijustwroteit, light angst?, maybetriggering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:07:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23814349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morishi/pseuds/Morishi
Summary: Two stories about two pairs of best friends.They were tired of seeing them being heartbroken so they stepped up and dared themselves into diving deep inside the spiraling feelings they never felt before.
Relationships: Kim Chaewon (IZONE)/Kim Minju, Lee Chaeyeon/Miyawaki Sakura
Kudos: 37





	1. Rather Than Hurt (2Kim)

“You know what…”

Minjoo hummed in response.

She was busy blowing her already red nose and wiping her tear-stained cheeks after bawling her eyes out in front of her bestfriend earlier. She had just intruded Chaewon’s flat without a warning before she dove and engulfed her bestfriend, who was peacefully sleeping, in a hug then started wailing like an idiot.

“Hey, look at me.”

Minjoo sluggishly turned to look at Chaewon who called for her in a rather soft voice but she found the older girl staring at her, those infamous snarky eyes seemingly peering through the soul of the broken-hearted girl.

Normally, the girl’s dark umber orbs, which others claim to be really intimidating that they’d shit their pants if subjected to that torturous scrutinizing gaze, don’t look at her that way no matter what she does. Today, however, Minjoo felt that it was different, she could now see why others are scared of her, Kim Chaewon, her one and only best friend. Chaewon has been gazing at her irritably and Minjoo couldn’t help but let her brows furrow in confusion at that realization.

“Why are you looking at me like that, unnie?”

“Don’t you ever get tired?” The elder huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, her fringe softly gliding over her forehead when she tilted her head sidewards making her newly cut hair shift from the motion.

“Tired? Of what?”

“Being in a relationship and breaking up almost every week?”

“I’m so sorry, unnie.” The younger of the two sighed. “I... I’ll try my best to get some break from love. Sorry, I even disturbed you today.”

Chaewon snorted. “I also heard that last week, and even the weeks before that, multiple times.”

Minjoo pouted then jumped on Chaewon to hug her and bury her face on the older’s stomach. They ended up lying on the bed once again from the impact with Chaewon’s head slightly hitting the wall from the force.

“Holy f- I swear to God, Kim Minjoo.” 

Chaewon quietly groaned in pain with her eyes closed as she instinctively let Minjoo’s lavender scent overake her senses. She was used to the minty lavender fragrance that lingers in her room whenever the younger visits and as expected, this time is not an exception as well. It was a comfortable mix of their colognes that she, somehow or another, often finds herself giddy whenever she gets a whiff of (for some unknown reason).

“I’m sorry, unnie.”

Chaewon snapped out of her stupor. The younger’s voice came out muffled but she could feel her shirt getting soaked from Minjoo’s tears.

She felt her heart drop.

The elder sighed before lifting her upper body as she used her elbows to support her weight. She silently stared at the person hugging her, fighting the urge to pinch the younger’s cheeks and tell her to just stop crying but Minjoo is Minjoo and Chaewon knows that things will get worse if she did that since she's pretty sure her best friend will end up wailing like some widow.

“Are you mad at me?” Minjoo slowly glanced at her, their soft gazes meeting.

Chaewon kept mum.

If she’s going to be honest to the girl, she could admit that she’s indeed a bit irritated, irritated about the fact that one; her sleep was cut short by a sudden tackle (lariat) just when she was finally able to close her eyes after finishing her schoolwork overnight, two; her best friend is crying at noon because of some boy or maybe some girl who she probably just started dating five days ago for the umpteenth time, three; the said girl’s tears and snot got on one of the drafts of her work so she will need to redo it all over again, four; she still found Minjoo so pretty despite looking like some frog meme and crying, five; she can’t truly get angry at the younger girl although she thinks that she should be.

Minjoo has always been like a baby, a crybaby to be specific. She doesn’t understand why people can be this much of an asshole. They made the angel in front of her cry and she felt her blood boil at the thought of someone hurting her bestfriend once again, also irked that she couldn’t protect her from the pain.

So yes, Chaewon feels mad, not at Minjoo but at the certain feeling she can’t name, the feeling that she can’t put her finger on that stops her from feeling angry at the girl on top of her. That and she, most of all, felt herself seething at those bitches and bastards who dared to hurt someone so, so precious for her.

“You’re really mad…” Minjoo further tightened her arms around the older then buried her face again on Chaewon’s stomach when the girl unconsciously furrowed her eyebrows, lost in her thoughts that she ended up not responding.

Chaewon sighed. She shifted her weight to her left arm while her right hand reached for Minjoo’s newly dyed dark brown hair, raking it softly in rhythm.

“I’m not mad at you, okay?” She whispered gently. “Rather than mad, I’m just worried. You keep on getting yourself hurt. I’m afraid that time will come where you get used to the pain and become numb. I’m worried that the precious Minjoo that I know may cease to exist if she keeps getting her heart broken.”

The quietness echoed inside the room but the muffled sound of the raindrops drumming the outside of her windows shortly dominated Chaewon’s sense of hearing. Her eyesight fell on the big window beside her bed and at the gloomy clouds that looked as if they were cottons that filtered the exhaust of smoke-belching cars of the busy city they live in.

She thought that it was ironic… how the rain made things even more dramatic that it should be. It simply made the atmosphere gloomier.

Chaewon found herself taking a deep breath to refocus on her bestfriend.

“Minjoo...” Chaewon lightly tapped the girl’s arm to release her from the tight embrace.

The younger let go of her without sparing a glance at the older, her head drooping from guilt as she sat up, straddling the older girl’s lap. She couldn’t bring herself to meet her bestfriend’s worried gaze as the negativity continued clouding her mind.

Chaewon straightened her back then muttered a small, gentle ‘hey’ to call the girl once more but Minjoo feebly shook her head.

“Min?” The older girl found herself cupping the younger’s face to let their gazes meet. She wiped away the warm tears which kept on falling from Minjoo’s eyes with the back of her fingers, brushing the stray strands of hair away from her face and tucking them behind her left ear. “Please, look at me... Minmin...”

Warm liquid once again started streaming down the younger girl’s eyes but Chaewon didn’t mind and never stopped wiping those tears away.

“It’s fine.”

“I-I just can’t promise that I’ll take a break from relationships so _I can breathe_ from this pain. Y-you know what I’m going through, right?”

Chaewon hugged the girl and gave her soft pats on the back.

"I know, don't worry. I know."

Chaewon does know. She knows how Minjoo is hated by her stepfather. She knows how the younger girl grew up with her birth father who eventually left her at such a tender age after being involved in a traffic accident when Minjoo was seven so she had to go to her mother, her mother who’s only civil when it comes to her, her mother who doesn’t even love her as a daughter.

She’s known the girl ever since the younger appeared with Chaeyeon, Chaewon’s older cousin, who has been protecting Minjoo since their childhood, during the lunch break of Chaewon’s first day as a college sophomore. She knows how Minjoo doesn’t live with her new parents because she was told that she’s getting in the way of their dramatic love like some sort of villain in dramas.

The other Kim could only scoff at that. After all, they’re the foolish villains in real life for making Minjoo go through hell while growing up. That's when Chaewon found another side of her best friend. She understands how the younger girl craves for love and attention because of her new parents. After all, she has never felt it from them before.

Still, it doesn’t sit well with her, Chaewon had thought. If Minjoo keeps on suffering because of those temporary relationships, she will end it herself. She won’t sit still anymore and let her bestfriend trip and fall all over again.

“Say, Min… what if you date me instead?”

Minjoo snapped her head to meet Chaewon’s gaze in shock, her eyes almost bulging out from their sockets.

The older chuckled.

It was an urge on her part. The urge to make the girl happy instead of leaving it to others like before because she knows she’ll be able to make the girl feel truly enamored and she won’t hesitate to treat her like a royalty unlike them.

Chaewon has known Minjoo before she started dating one person after another in search of the affection she’s been looking for...

...and she feels hurt everytime she sees her hurt.

She often found herself frowning whenever she was informed that Minjoo got in another relationship. She doesn’t really know why but she thought that it’s because Minjoo is going to get hurt by a half-assed relationship again.

She was sure about one thing though.

She doesn’t love the younger girl that way…

...well,

...maybe.

The feelings of conviction and sureness somehow turned into ambivalence in Chaewon’s mind but that can wait for later. She wants to make the girl in front of her smile first.

“Unnie, are you serious?”

“What do you think?” Chaewon smiled.

“B-but I don’t want you to become uncomfortable and what if things go wrong? I don’t want to inconvenience you. You’re my most important person, I don’t want to lose you too! No!”

“It’s going to be fine.” Chaewon caught Minjoo’s arms when the younger girl started throwing a fit, hitting her chest with punches in protest then embraced the younger girl.

“No matter what happens, I won’t hurt you like what they did to you. I will never leave you. Don’t worry, hm? I will only leave if you don’t need me anymore or if you say so. I swear to be always by your side, okay?” Chaewon broke the hug to give the girl a sweet smile before leaving a feather-like kiss on her forehead and engulfing the shaken girl in an embrace once again. “This is way better than letting you get hurt again and again. It hurts me that you get hurt so rather than seeing you heartbroken repeatedly, I’ll make you happy. I’ll make you smile. I’ll give you everything I can so you won’t need to feel that again.”

As soon as she heard the older’s words, Minjoo felt herself further sinking deep into the emotion she couldn’t begin to describe. It felt as if she was stuck in something akin to suffocating sludge but unlike sludge, she felt so comfortable and warm yet it was still intoxicating and addicting even when she drowns in it. Those words were enough to let her emotions be left in haywire.

“So? Are you daring enough to take on my offer?” Chaewon softly peeled the younger Kim from her and grinned at the girl.

Minjoo pressed her lips into a thin line as she pondered.

Although she was baffled, she has to admit that there were plenty of times in the past when she thought about that certain what if in her mind, Minjoo has never truly thought about being in a relationship with her bestfriend in all actuality. The idea passed by but never really got stuck in her head because she’s always distracted by the frequently changing relationships she’s had.

Then again, she also couldn’t deny the fact that there was the creeping thought at the back of her mind so she acknowledged that she instinctively considered that she can be in a relationship with the older so probably, she should take her chances and agree to it.

Maybe this time, she’ll have a proper relationship.

No, not maybe.

This time, she’ll make sure that the relationship will last. Her partner is going to be Kim Chaewon, her bestfriend and the most important person in her life.

The same person who has always been there to support her, comfort her whenever she badly needs it. The girl who made her feel that she had someone to depend on in her life. The girl who taught her and made her realize that she is not alone, that she doesn’t deserve to be left alone.

“Is it really alright, unnie?”

Chaewon flashed her innocent smile, trying to pacify the younger’s worries. “It is. I can assure you that.”

Minjoo, however, still couldn’t stop herself from being pulled back down by her anxiety.

She felt scared.

Her past lovers are simply people who she once felt attracted to but Chaewon is Chaewon, a person she’ll never want to get hurt, not in a million years, a person much more important than herself.

Losing or hurting someone you treasure with your whole heart is way worse than losing a person you thought understands and loves you.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Minjoo flinched as Chaewon gently squeezed her cold hands, flashing a soft smile that she never shows to other people.

“I don’t want to hurt you, unnie."

"It's going to be fine."

“How sure are you that I won’t hurt you?“

Chaewon took the other girl’s hand to guide it towards her cheek, a playful glint on her eyes before she closed them to savor the warmth touching her face. “I’m a strong person, I won’t easily let this warm touch scorch and hurt me...”

“Chae… I-”

Chaewon softly shushed Minjoo, cutting her words off.

She suddenly opened her eyes, smiling smugly as she wiggled her eyebrows, muttering her words with overflowing confidence that came out of nowhere. “...maybe except if we do the deed, I’ll let you hurt me. I won’t mind the burning touches from your hands in the future…”

“What do you m—”

To Chaewon’s amusement, the younger ended up coughing her soul out of her mouth but it was immediately followed by Minjoo’s music-like laughter and (extremely) flushed face the moment she realized what the older had meant.

“Yah! Unnie!”

“What?” The older chortled.

“Don’t talk about that!”

“Why can’t I? Why are you acting innocently now?”

“Because I AM innocent!”

“Oh really?” Chaewon giggled and engulfed the girl in a bear hug before abruptly attacking her sides with tickles.

“Yah! U-unnie! S-stop! HAHAHAHAHA!” Minjoo attempted to fall from Chaewon’s lap and roll on the bed to get away from her bully but was unsuccessful from doing so, making the older tickle her further.

The younger had tried to escape a couple of times more. It always ended up failing, however, much to the younger’s dismay.

After a few more seconds of crazy laughter escaping her throat, Minjoo knew she couldn't win against her bestfriend. And so, the younger finally resorted to shouting her pleas, asking for mercy after giving up from her futile struggles.

“P-please stop it! Unnie! I-I can’t b-breathe! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Well, then. Request accepted.” The older girl let go of Minjoo's seemingly lifeless body as she sat on her knees while giggling at the frog corpse in front of her. Hair a disheveled mess and clothes all wrinkled and raised exposing her stomach after trying to slip away from Chaewon’s playful hands.

(she had to pull Minjoo's shirt down when she saw the tempting sight while silently praying that the younger wouldn’t see the reddish tint of her ears)

“Ugh, I hate you.” Minjoo flipped her once limp body to lay on her back, looking at Chaewon with narrowed eyes.

“Do you really mean that?” Chaewon raised her eyebrows, feigning ignorance.

“Who knows?” The younger rolled her eyes in mockery.

“So you hate me? Are you sure?” The older she sluggishly raised her body to put her hands on either side of Minjoo’s head, trapping the girl between her arms while grinning victoriously. A chuckle escaped from her throat, however, when she saw the other girl pout in disagreement.

“What are you doing?”

Chaewon quirked her brows before she landed a swift kiss on the tip of Minjoo’s nose. “I made you laugh and that’s all that matters. I win.”

“So you really decided to pull that off?” Minjoo giggled and gingerly put her arms around the older girl’s neck, playing with the short ends of the other Kim’s locks. “Thank you, unnie. Take care of me.”

“That’s for certain. I’ll take extremely good care of you, my baby princess.” Chaewon let herself collapse on top of the girl, snaking her arms around Minjoo’s torso and switching their positions.

“Not gonna lie but that sounds so cringey and cheesy, unnie.” Minjoo chortled before fixing her position to cuddle with the older.

“I know you like it.”

“You really know me a lot.”

“So from now on, you’re my girl? Hmm?” Chaewon’s eyes crinkled as she showed her cheshire grin. “It won’t be bad if I completely fall for you.”

“Go on, I dare you.”

Chaewon laughed.

In all honesty, Chaewon doesn’t even know how it feels to be attracted to someone. All her life has been dedicated to studying because of her parents who were always extremely strict in her academic performance and so she, herself, also decided to focus solely on her studies. She doesn’t know what it feels to be in love. How much more about what she feels towards Minjoo? But it won’t hurt to shower the girl with affection because she’s been doing it ever since they met and became friends. With them being in a relationship, will it change things? After all, she has nothing to lose… they both have nothing to lose because if they break up, Chaewon will surely not leave the girl’s side nor is she going to change the way she treats her.

This meant there’s no need to stop herself from spoiling the girl even further, the older girl thought.

Chaewon grinned from her musings.

“If so, I won’t mind if you set my feelings on fire. I dare you to fall for me too.”

“It will be so easy, Chae.” Minjoo snuggled her face on Chaewon’s shoulder, taking in the minty fragrance from the hoodie the older girl is wearing.

It was so addicting and Minjoo could probably lose herself from the intoxicating smell of not just the older’s clothes but the girl herself too. She’d love to fill her lungs with Chaewon’s scent again and again without getting sick of it. Chaewon makes her feel so calm, feel as if she was in a place where she belongs, her home.

Minjoo smiled. “Thank you, unnie. Thank you, baby.”

“There’s no need to thank me. You’ll be taking care of me too.” Chaewon giggled. “I wonder how much things are going to change.”

“I don’t think anything will change.”

“But what we’re doing is the usual… I want to do something more special for you.”

Minjoo laughed when she felt Chaewon rub her cheek on the crown of her head.

“You marking me like a cat at the moment is enough to make me feel special.”

A whine of protest came from the older girl and Minjoo didn’t hesitate to pinch Chaewon’s nose while giggling. “Unnie, you being yourself is enough. You’re my girlfriend now, right?”

“I am.”

“Are we supposed to relay the news to others?”

Chaewon wrapped her arms around her lover and placed a kiss on her head. “I don’t know. For now, can we please cuddle to sleep first?”

Minjoo chortled. “Yeah, I feel tired from all that crying too.”

“We better mark this day on the calendar.” Chaewon chuckled, closing her eyes and leaning her head on the younger’s.

Minjoo smiled in content before leaving a kiss on the older girl’s cheek. “Have a nice sleep, Chae-unnie.” The younger girl uttered and closed her eyes as well, the exhaustion from her emotional outburst finally kicking in her system. "Thank you... I look forward to the day we exchange our heartfelt I love yous. " She giggled.

Chaewon hummed. 

_"I love you."_

_"I love you too."_

  
  



	2. Rather Than Alone

It was a late summer evening during August when Sakura received a call exactly a week ago from her girlfriend, Lee Chaeyeon, while she's staying in Japan.

Her girlfriend of more than six years suddenly informed her that she won’t be calling for a while, that the only time she'll finally be free only is a week later and that she will be very busy with work so she won’t be able to sneakily reply to her messages.

Usually, they would talk all night to catch up and have a chit chat about the little happenings during the day especially when they’ve been a few hundred miles apart from each other ever since a month ago because of Sakura's job. Of course, some sweet talks and flirting are included but that time was different.

Totally different.

Sakura had to admit, she felt crestfallen at that message but Chaeyeon's voice was hoarse, almost lifeless, far from the usual sweet and kind tone she has. It worries the older girl. Sakura felt her heart drop the moment she heard her voice instead of worrying about what she had said. The older girl had tried calling her again and again but the younger girl didn't answer nor did she reply to her multiple concern-filled messages since then.

Sakura even went as far as contacting their group of friends whom she barely talked with for the past month, asking them to update her about her lover seeing that she will lose her job if she leaves her actual home country. However, they only reassured her that Chaeyeon was okay, that everything was fine and she doesn't need to worry.

Yet Sakura's instincts were telling her that it wasn't.

Honestly, if they told her something bad happened, even if it's just Chaeyeon burning her finger while cooking clumsily and whatnot, her boss could go fuck himself because she won't care anymore and fly back to Korea without a second thought. Still, she wants to trust her lover's words and be patient. Chaeyeon has never lied to her and she's never broken a promise ever since they met during middle school.

They were bestfriends before they became lovers. Sakura as the older of them had seen the younger have her fair share of pain and she saw her grow from that. This time, she wants to have faith in her as well.

Even as Sakura let Chaeyeon fall for others, she made sure to guide her bestfriend after so she won't be left alone and broken. She can still remember the time when she simply watched from the sidelines as Chaeyeon constantly had an on and off relationship with one of their friends, Kwon Eunbi as if their feelings were a broken recorder.

Chaeyeon loved the girl too much that she became too blinded, eventually forgetting to leave some love for herself while Eunbi was more mature and despite liking her, she knew that what Chaeyeon had for her was obsession. She wanted to let go of the younger girl so they really broke up but due to Chaeyeon's persistence, they would eventually make up and the things repeated again and again until Eunbi got tired of it. She had loved Chaeyeon, of course, but it was only at the beginning. Slowly, she realized that it was no longer the love she felt for a lover but rather, she started thinking of Chaeyeon as a younger sister whom she couldn't leave alone. That was when Kang Hyewon appeared in their lives and Kwon Eunbi's mind was eventually filled with her being. It took a year for them to finally break off their unhealthy relationship and Sakura, as usual, was there to comfort her.

As bestfriends, they weren't supposed to feel like that but time passed by and the two of them, especially Chaeyeon, realized her budding feelings for Sakura. It was during her first year as a college student when she found out that Sakura was treated as a wallflower in their university, a girl whose existence was close to being a divinity for all of the students. Suitors were appearing in front of Sakura everyday when they barely had time for each other so Chaeyeon, who never seriously craved the older's attention, started sticking to her as much as possible whenever she had vacant time.

Sakura could even recall that time when she only laughed at her when Chaeyeon literally almost killed a guy who wanted to assertively flirt with her.

It was all fun that time, the fleeting feelings of happiness that happened for a few months... when they openly showered each other affection without labeling their relationship because both of them knew that the younger was still broken from her previous relationship.

Then the time when Chaeyeon broke her heart once again came.

* * *

“Chaeyeon, what are you doing? Don't you think you should start preparing for your upcoming hell week? That’s like, a week from now.” Sakura languidly propped her chin in the palm of her right hand that she put on her crossed legs while staring at the younger's back through her reflection on the body mirror.

“I'll do so after I finish memorizing one more song.”

“Dancing won't help you with your Engineering Mechanics quiz, you know.”

“Yah! You don't need to remind me.” The younger slumped on her feet while whining at her bestfriend who seemed to be apathetic about her suffering.

“Did you forget that I’m here to tutor you?” Sakura chuckled.

“I didn’t.” Chaeyeon pouted as she sprawled on her dorm’s cold tiled floor, glancing at Sakura’s direction to let their eyes meet. “I was just letting off some steam before I used my head and studied. You know I need to move my body so this useless head of mine starts working.”

The older smiled at her then got up from the bed she was sitting on to occupy the tempting space on the floor beside Chaeyeon. “Aw, look at my baby. Hurry up since I still have things to do. There will be no cuddles while studying if you don’t start now. I have to leave in four hours, you know.”

Chaeyeon immediately sprang on her feet at her words, feeling a bit dizzy at the sudden movement. “Oh fuck.”

“Language, babe.”

Chaeyeon scoffed before she scooted close to her and wrapped her arms around Sakura’s slim waist from behind her. “It’s just the two of us. You don’t need to act like a saint, Saku-chan. You’re the one who usually curses a lot here.”

“Shut up. I won’t teach you then.” Sakura leaned her head on Chaeyeon’s shoulder, looking up to see the younger’s cute (sulking) expression.

“That’s not allowed. You have to teach me.”

“I’ve been telling you to let Hyewon teach you instead. She’s your senior. You know math subjects are still a no-no for me but you insisted so here I am.”

“Oh come on. As a former architecture student, you went through that same subject and aced it. I can trust you with that.”

“For your information, your mathematics is more detailed and meticulous than us architecture students because we focus on designing and you engineers focus on the structure. For us, those computations can wait for later, designing is our priority and that’s all that really matters.” Sakura rolled her eyes.

“Well, architects are really the main source of headaches for us civil engineers. You love torturing us with those complicated and otherworldly designs.” Chaeyeon chuckled. “But they’re also the best partners, right?”

Sakura giggled and snuggled closer to the younger girl. “It depends on the architect and engineer themselves, of course.”

“Right.”

Sakura hummed. “I’ll be frank. You just tried changing the subject because I mentioned Hyewon and you're still bitter about her and Eunbi, aren’t you? You won’t be able to trick me.”

Chaeyeon visibly deflated. “I’m still trying to move on. It has only been six months since we broke up, you know. It hurts, still hurts so much… but maybe it would hurt even more if I didn’t have someone by my side.”

“Really? And thanks to whom is that?”

“Stop teasing me already.” Chaeyeon tightened her hug on the older girl while laughing. “You know you’re the entire reason why I’m barely getting by.”

Sakura smiled. “I’m just happy that you stopped hurting yourself.” The older girl softly muttered. “Speaking of which, have you apologized to your parents for the sudden outburst you had a week ago?”

Chaeyeon froze at her words, remembering the main source of her heartache that she tried to forget for a week.

“Chaeyeon, you shouldn’t be like this.” Sakura felt her eyes being teary. “You shouldn’t get angry at them just because they lied to you about your mother’s heart condition. I know how much you love your parents but what you’re doing right now is unnecessary. It may be your way of coping with the news but your time with your mother is limited now. Don’t you think wasting a week, acting mad at them is such a waste?”

“I’m just mad because they didn’t have to hide it to me. Why did they lie? I… I just couldn’t contain it… the helplessness that swallowed me whole when I found out about her illness especially when I found out that Mom only has a year to live.”

Sakura engulfed the younger girl into a tight hug, rubbing circles on her back. “I know how much it hurts. I treat auntie like my mother too so I know… it may not be as bad as you but it still hurts.”

“Sh-should I call Mom?”

“It’s up to you. I’m sure they’re waiting for your call tho.” The older girl smiled. “Here, you can use my phone.”

“Thanks, Saku-chan.” Chaeyeon grinned and kissed her cheek.

Sakura felt the tip of her ears get hot.

It didn’t take three rings for Chaeyeon’s dad to answer the call with his deep and strict-sounding voice.

[Hello?]

“Dad?”

[Chaeyeon-ah?]

[Who is it?—]

[—it’s Chaeyeon.]

“M-mom?” Chaeyeon bit her lip to stop her tears from coming out. “I miss you two.”

[Chaeyeon-ah, Mom misses you too—]

[—and so does Dad, you know.] Chaeyeon could hear her father chuckle from the other side.

She smiled, feeling her heart at ease and content. She leaned her head on Sakura’s shoulder and squeezed the older girl’s stomach making her giggle.

“Where are you guys at?”

[We’re on our way to your place.]

[Honey, isn’t it supposed to be our surprise?]

[Oh wait, you’re right. I’m sorry.]

[You’re Mom is so excited.] Her dad laughed. [We’re just a corner away there. We brought some food.]

“Thank you Mom, Dad. I love you.”

[...Chaeyeon-ah. Mom and Dad love you too, more than anything in this world. Never forget that. Wait, where did your Mom g— WAIT! HONEY!! NO—]

Suddenly, a deafening boom as if something crashed and the sound of glasses shattering were heard, coupled by screams that echoed from the opposite end of the call. The bestfriends instinctively held their breaths.

“D-dad? What’s happening??”

[...] Chaeyeon could hear faint murmurs and voices from the background but no one responded to her.

“DAD!! MOM!!! WHAT’S HAPPENING?! PLEASE ANSWER ME! DAD!”

[SOMEBODY CALL 911—] A stranger shouted before the call was dropped.

“S-Saku-chan…” It felt as if the younger girl's heart stopped beating, freezing in place as her hands started to tremble in fear in realization. She was just talking to her parents but in an instant, they were taken from her. She shook her head in denial but tears were already racing down her cheeks. “Saku-chan, n-nothing happened, right?”

“Shit. Chaeyeon, they’re near, aren’t they?! Let’s go!!”

 _-_ o _-_

It has been three days since the start of the wake for Chaeyeon’s late parents and the funeral was to be held in two hours.

Everything has been a blur for both Sakura and Chaeyeon ever since they saw the bloodied bodies of Chaeyeon’s mother and father who tried to save a pair of lost twins from being hit by a car which cost them their own lives. The younger has never uttered a word to anyone but Sakura since then and most of the time just stares into nothingness, her eyes devoid of any emotion.

Yet when Sakura came back after buying Chaeyeon a bottle of water and leaving her unattended for a mere minute or two, she could only see their friends wearing frantic expressions while running around the halls as if looking for something.

Sakura grew restless at their actions. “Eunbi-unnie? What’s wrong? And where’s Chaeyeon?”

“S-Sakura! Chaeyeon, sh-she suddenly stormed out a minute ago with a dark expression. We can’t find her!”

The Japanese felt the blood from her face drain in horror. She quickly tried to think of the places the girl could possibly go and she started sprinting towards her dorms.

Almost twenty minutes have passed Sakura since Sakura started looking for the girl. To her despair, she couldn’t find Chaeyeon in her room which only left one available option.

_This place is my favorite. I could see the sunset and sunrise from here, even the moon and the stars even if they’re barely visible due to the pollution plus this place heals me a lot because we made a lot of memories here._

The older quickly ran towards the elevator and pressed the button for the tenth floor impatiently, biting on her nails from anxiety. It took her three minutes to arrive at the designated area, only to find Chaeyeon standing at the ledge of her dorm’s rooftop.

“Ch-Chaeyeon! P-please get down!” Sakura huffed as she tried catching her breath.

“It’s my fault!! It’s my fault that they died, Sakura! If they weren't guilty because I got mad, they wouldn't come to my place!!! This isn’t supposed to happen!! Fuck this shit. Why does this have to happen to them?! WHY?!” The younger girl let out a scream of pure distress while pulling her hair.

“No, Chaeyeon, please calm down. It isn’t your fault… it’s never your fault.” Sakura cried out as tears streamed down from her eyes. Her heart felt as if it was going to burst while being gripped by darkness which made it feel extremely suffocating. Her hands and feet were all cold and sweaty from nervousness and helplessness as the thing that she fears the most is happening. “P-please, get down… Chaeyeon… please… please don’t leave me!”

Chaeyeon broke down in tears even further, crying out loud in grievance, screaming that it was her fault while shaking her head, her nails digging on her forearm making her skin bleed.

“No! It’s my fault that they’re dead! If I didn't act so childish, they'll still be here!”

“I told you it’s not!”

“It IS my fault! If it wasn’t for me, they wouldn’t have died!”

“Then if you’re going to jump, th-then I will jump too!” Sakura felt desperate as she stood on the ledge a few meters away from Chaeyeon.

“What the fuck are you doing, Sakura?!”

“Shut up!”

Sakura bit her lip at the sight in front of her. As expected, people looked like ants crawling below her feet and she has to admit that the idea of falling from that height was extremely terrifying… but losing Chaeyeon was a million times more terrifying than that so she simply brushed those thoughts aside and focused on the girl beside her because screw her fear of heights, what matters most is to stop Chaeyeon from taking her own life because of her grief.

“Sakura!! Stop!”

“Then get down there and pull your shit together! It wasn’t your fault!”

“I-it’s my f—”

“I’m serious so before you even jump, I will jump. If you don’t fucking get down there on the count of three, I will not hesitate to jump and kill myself instead, Lee Chaeyeon!”

“N-no! Not you too! No! Saku-chan, please don’t!”

“Then get down!”

“B-but—”

“One.”

“Sa-Saku-chan, please get down! I-it was my fault not yours, please!”

“Two.”

“Fine! I’m not going to jump anymore, just don’t jump!”

Chaeyeon collapsed on the floor the moment she got down. Like Sakura had said, she also went down from the ledge and looked at her in pain. The younger girl hastily crawled towards Sakura’s direction then hugged the girl tightly after she almost lost her too. She can’t let that happen no matter what. If Sakura leaves her, Chaeyeon knows she would go crazy.

“Thank God! Thank God!”

Sakura smiled at her while tears were still flowing on her cheeks before whacking the younger girl’s arm furiously. “That should be my line, you idiot! Are you going to leave your girlfriend alone just like that?! You selfish bitch!”

“S-sorry— wait, w-what did you say? Girlfriend?” Chaeyeon stared at the older girl with shock and disbelief.

“Do you have any problem with that?!” Sakura glared at her with her red eyes from crying too much. “From now on, I’ll be here for you more than ever. I’ll support you and be by your side so don’t you ever dare leave me alone!”

Chaeyeon felt an overwhelming emotion rush in her system which made her start sobbing once more. The feeling of loss was still there in her heart but the emptiness that occupies most of its space was replaced by the warmth of Sakura’s declaration. It was all she needed to get herself together again. It’s Sakura again, her bestfriend… who’s also now her girlfriend, the person who has always been there for her to support her through thick and thin, the person she trusts the most in the world, the person she wouldn’t be able to live without from now on.

“Thank you, Saku-chan… thank you…” Chaeyeon’s tears started flowing again like a broken dam.

“Rather than alone, it’s better to deal with things together with someone special. Isn’t that what auntie taught us?” Sakura muttered while bawling her eyes out, making Chaeyeon nod as she cupped the girl's cheeks, wiping the older girl’s tears with her hands.

“I’m so sorry. I’ll never leave you… ever. I promise.” Chaeyeon closed her eyes and let their foreheads touch.

The older girl felt a dozen of emotions whirl inside her heart that Sakura didn’t even stop herself from cutting the short distance between their lips as she let them touch for a while. Their first kiss was a simple peck. It was salty from their tears but it was definitely very sweet nonetheless. They knew. That was all they needed to do to reassure each other that everything was going to be okay... that they’ll forever stay by each other’s side no matter what happens from now onwards.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes and lifted her upper body the instant she realized what had happened.

_Shit. I fell asleep._

She immediately checked her phone, expecting a notification from her lover that she’s been waiting for— she only ended sighing in disappointment as she let herself fall back on the bed.

It was already past midnight but Chaeyeon hasn’t called yet.

The entire week has been nerve-wracking, rendering her unable to sleep properly since the call. She couldn't stop thinking about the younger girl at all that she even dreamt about, perhaps, the most painful and tragic experience they ever had in life during her two hours of accidental sleep.

She decided to get up to lazily walk towards the kitchen and look for a cold can of beer to accompany her for the night when her phone suddenly rang. She didn’t even know where that speed came from but the moment she heard the third note of her ringtone, she had already swiped the call to answer it.

_[Hey, Saku-chan.]_

“Don’t you just ‘hey, Sakura-chan’ me, woman.” Sakura growled at her girlfriend but the girl only giggled at her from the other line. She felt her eye twitch in anger, forgetting the relief she felt when she first heard the girl’s usual bright tone.

_[Don’t be mad, babe.]_

“Who wouldn’t be mad??! Huh?!”

_[Come on, just open your door.]_

“What do you mean? Why would I do that? It’s almost one in the morning.” Sakura rolled her eyes at her lover’s silliness.

_[Please? The mosquitoes have been feasting on my blood.]_

“Wait, what?”

_[I’m at your door.]_

“Are you serious?!”

_[Dead serious, love.]_

Sakura almost jumped down from the second floor of her home to reach the ground floor instantly, sprinting at the door as fast as she could. She violently swung the door open only to see her girlfriend calmly standing at the doorway, her short hair tied messily as she gracefully wore a branded coat with a white shirt underneath (three buttons open slightly revealed her milky white skin which actually made Sakura secretly gulp) tucked in her denim pants— not to mention, a big silver suitcase behind her.

_Wait..._

Sakura’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Hey, babe.” Chaeyeon smugly looked at her with an annoying grin.

“Chaeyeon??”

“The one and only.” The younger laughed and dropped the call, pocketing the phone and moving a step to get closer to her lover.

“Why are you here and where the hell have you been?! Do you know how worried I was?!” Sakura scowled.

“Sorry, sorry. Aww. Look at my baby being all grumpy.” Chaeyeon gingerly placed her hands on Sakura’s hips, staring deeply at her lover’s chocolate orbs while smiling.

“Shut up! Who wouldn't be when you literally disappeared for a week!? Do you know how much I worried about you?!”

“Don't be like that, babe.”

Chaeyeon engulfed Sakura in a tight hug. The younger tried to enjoy the warmth of her lover she’s been missing for a month (that felt like a millennium) but it was cut short when the older girl pushed her away.

“Don't go calling me babe! You have no idea ho—mm!!!”

The Korean didn’t bother listening to her girlfriend’s lecture, taking Sakura’s lips while she was talking, kissing her hungrily and full of passion, heads over the clouds when they both almost lost their reasoning at each other’s sweet taste, only letting go so they could catch their breaths.

“Yah! Lee Chaeyeon! Be serious!” Sakura regained her senses.

The younger girl rubbed her nape at her loud scolding voice, a small smile on her lips. “Sorry.”

“You don’t even look sorry!”

“Believe me, I'm really sorry about that. I was slumped with work so I've been really busy just to come to you.”

“That doesn’t mean you can just kiss me while I’m t—” Chaeyeon gave the girl another heated but playful kiss and despite her nagging, Sakura still answers the movements of Chaeyeon’s lips with the same assertiveness making the younger girl smirk in victory.

“Have you calmed down?”

“CAN YOU AT LEAST LET ME FINISH MY WOR—”

The younger girl kissed her for the third time, swiping her tongue inside the older girl’s warm mouth for a deeper kiss before nibbling on Sakura’s soft lower lip and leaving a quick peck. She pulled the girl closer, hugging her smaller frame and burying her face in the crook of her lover’s neck as she drowned herself in Sakura’s addicting rosy scent. “Nope. I missed kissing you too so N-O-P-E.”

“Ugh. I hate the fact that you're such a good kisser.” The older girl resigned, wrapping her arms around the taller girl’s waist.

“Of course, I learned with Eun—”

“TMI. I don't need to know so shut your fucking mouth.”

Chaeyeon chuckled. “And she's back to being grumpy.”

“Didn't I say to shut your mouth?”

“Hehe I love you babe.” The younger girl pulled away from the hug and kissed Sakura’s forehead sweetly while smiling.

“Don't 'hehe' me.”

“Uh-huh?” Chaeyeon grinned at her. She had her hands on the older girl’s jawline, thumbs lovingly caressing her cheek while peering through her orbs with a gentle smile on her face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I missed you so much.”

Sakura scoffed and raised her eyebrows. “I missed you too, more than you think.”

Chaeyeon pouted. “No, I missed you more.”

“Nah-uh, I’m—”

“Were you about to say something?”

“...”

Chaeyeon laughed at her girlfriend who remained quiet, lips pressed in a thin line while glaring at her like a cat after she kissed her again for the fourth time without letting her finish talking.

“Why don't you let me inside now? Hmm?”

Sakura sighed in defeat. “Why are you here, really? Aren't you supposed to be in charge of the construction of an international airport in Europe in collaboration with another firm?”

“I won't say anything unless you let me in.” Chaeyeon giggled.

“Then rot.” Sakura turned her back from Chaeyeon, hands on the door handle as she was about to seriously close the door at the younger’s face.

“Hey!”

“Speak.”

The younger girl smiled cheekily at the glaring girl. “I already finished all of my work in advance so I only need to rely on Hyewon's help for the on-site inspection. They were supposed to give me two weeks off before I manage another project after the airport that's why I decided to do my best and finish everything as much as possible to spend more time with you so now, I have another month to be with you. We can go back together to Korea.”

Sakura suddenly hugged Chaeyeon, snuggling her face on her shoulder, hiding the overflowing happiness in her system. But then, she remembered the younger girl's bad habit and it made the Japanese sigh. “You didn't need to push yourself too much, you know. I could easily tell how overworked you are. I've only been gone for a month but you tortured yourself with work again for me.”

“Mm. Sorry. I really just want to do things quickly so I get to see you. Did you forget what date it is today?”

Sakura softly let go of Chaeyeon and looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Huh? It's August... 20...”

“Nope, it's already August 21st, babe.”

“O-oh.”

_Fuck._

Chaeyeon chortled. “I can hear you curse in your head. Guess I made you worry too much that you forgot about our seventh anniversary, hmm?”

“Sorry...” Sakura sighed and pouted. “I never forgot about it last week but because of a certain someone, this week has been really draining for me.”

Chaeyeon chortled. “Then as a token of apology, I have another surprise for you.”

Chaeyeon passed the girl an envelope.

“What is this?” Sakura asked, baffled.

“Just open it, babe.”

Sakura froze the moment she realized what’s inside the envelope.

_A marriage registration form._

“I didn’t want to do this at your doorstep but anyway, let me get to the point. I can never enumerate the reasons why I love you because they’re as countless as the stars that are witnessing this very moment from the heavens so I won’t be so dramatic. I know you won’t like it if I did because you know I’m a bit excessive when showing you my affection. It’s going to be too much especially when it’s already this late.” Chaeyeon laughed. “And so, I’ll just cut to the chase…”

Chaeyeon took out a velvet box from her coat and opened it to show her lover a silver ring with embedded pink diamonds that looked like cherry blossom petals.

Sakura gasped, eyes almost falling from surprise. She felt as if her heart was about to burst, it didn’t even take a second for those overflowing feelings to get converted into happy tears that started flowing from her eyes.

_“Miyawaki Sakura, do you want to officially become Lee Sakura?”_

Sakura didn’t know what to do. The love of her life is finally asking her hand in marriage. All her life, she’s never been as happy as this moment. She felt as if she was flying, felt as if they were the only people in the world. She couldn’t even begin to put her feelings into words. She wanted to scream her lungs out from the overflowing euphoria. She just felt so, so happy, more than any other person in the world.

“Of course I do, you idiot! You don’t even need to ask!”

Sakura jumped into Chaeyeon’s arms, wrapping her legs around Chaeyeon’s waist, arms around her neck. She showered Chaeyeon’s face with kisses before she squealed in happiness, not caring about waking up her sleeping neighbors at all because who cares? She’s the happiest person in the world at the moment.

Chaeyeon laughed and spun around whilst carrying her lover, stopping as they giggled before sharing a fervent kiss at the doorway of Sakura’s house once again with a bright smile on their faces.

“I love you, my future Mrs. Lee Sakura.” She softly whispered into the older girl’s ear, tightening her hug as she felt tears fall from her eyes too.

“I love you too my future Mrs. Lee Chaeyeon.” Sakura muttered sweetly, locking their gazes at each other that could say a million more words than their lips. 

**Author's Note:**

> One out of two one-shots done. Next one is KkuChaen, to be released next week.


End file.
